It's the End of the World As We Know It
by stephdear1980
Summary: Rated M for Language and Sexual Content. The Zombie Apocolypse has come, and Muggles are aware of the existance of Wizards. Blades meets Al and sparks fly as they try to survive the apocolypse together!
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This is something I am trying out. If I don't get any feedback on it, I won't bother finishing it.**_

I messed up. I couldn't believe they had caught me spying. I was usually better than this! I couldn't figure out where my head had been, and now I had Death Eaters on my ass, chasing me through the forest, probably with some zombies. I sighed and knew I needed to figure out a way to get out of here without getting killed or bitten. Not that they were not one in the same.

I ducked behind a bush and tried to control my labored breathing. If I could be quiet they might think I had run past and keep going. I heard footsteps and took soft shallow breaths, hoping I didn't hyperventilate.

"Is someone there?"

I stopped breathing altogether. It was a man, and I didn't trust them at all. He was whispering, but it could be a trap.

"I can help you if you come out of hiding. I took care of your pursuers. Please, let me help you."

He walked in front of where I was standing, and I tripped him and shoved my blade to his throat.

"Let me see your left arm."

He looked shocked and confused, but showed me his left arm. There was nothing. Just because he wasn't one of them didn't mean he was a good guy.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What is your name?"

"Albus. Albus Potter. Listen, this isn't necessary. I can offer you shelter and food. I am trying to help you if you would take this knife out of my jugular."

"For what price?" He opened his mouth, and I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Al, I am in charge right now. Are you scratched or bitten?"

"No. None of us are."

"Us? How many in your group?"

"About thirty or so, including women. I mean you no harm."

I loosened the blade. "I am a muggle. Do you still mean me no harm?"

"It's the reason I am helping you. Please come with me."

I studied him for a minute. He had long black hair, bright green eyes, his features were a bit rugged, and he had broad shoulders and was well toned. He must have been about 6'2, and could have overtaken my 5'2 frame physically if he had wanted to. He looked to be about 17 years old. The same age as me. He was honestly trying to earn my trust.

I nodded and stood up, offering him my hand. "Blades."

He smiled at me. "Is that your real name?"

"As far as you or anyone else is concerned, it is."

He nodded. "Fair enough. How did you know I was a wizard?"

"You said you took care of my pursuers, and there were three Death Eaters and two zombies chasing me. I heard no gunshots, and a muggle couldn't have killed them in hand to hand combat. One Death Eater and some zombies maybe, but not more than that. Thank you."

He smiled and nodded. "It's no problem. I have a thing for damsels in distress."

I stopped walking. "I am not a damsel in distress. I could have killed you back there if I hadn't decided to trust you."

"Yes, thank you for not killing me."

I smirked at him. "I have a thing for wanna-be heroes in distress."

He laughed at me. "Lucky for me."

We walked into an empty clearing, and I stopped walking. I didn't trust it. I tried to turn back and go the other direction, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me forward.

"It's the anti-muggle wards. It's safe, I promise."

"I don't trust you, so your promises mean nothing." I told him with a glare.

"Please. Take my hand and walk through with me."

I hesitated, but nodded and took his hand and allowed him to lead me forward. He could have killed me a long time ago if he wanted to. He led me into the clearing, only it wasn't an empty clearing anymore. It was full of tents, people walking around, and campfires.

"Albus Potter! Where have you been? Your mother has been worried sick about you! Who is this?"

I looked at the man who was yelling, and gasped. It was like looking into Albus' future. He was an exact replica of the man standing before us with his arms crossed, down to the glasses and posture. It was almost creepy.

"Sorry, Dad. She was being chased by Death Eaters and zombies. I couldn't stand there and do nothing."

The man's expression softened and he nodded at his son.

"Next time, ask for help or at least tell someone where you are going." He approached me and held out his hand to me, and I took it cautiously. "Harry Potter. You?"

"Blades."

He smiled at me and nodded. "Well, relax. Make yourself at home. I am sure you are exhausted, and we have a room you can use."

I looked past him, and everyone had stopped what they were doing to look at me. I started backing up, but Albus grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward.

"They won't hurt you either." He whispered to me. He turned to the group and raised his voice. "Everyone, this is Blades. She was being chased by Death Eaters and I invited her to stay with us. She is a muggle, and on her own."

They all nodded and came to introduce themselves one by one. It was a bunch of redheads. I almost smiled. I would almost fit right in with them appearance wise. Aside from the fact that their eyes were brown and mine were blue. My hair was much lighter than theirs as well. Mine was more of a strawberry blonde and straight.

The man who had introduced himself as George, put his arm around me and grinned. I reached for my sword, and Albus pulled him off of me.

"Uncle George! She doesn't trust us yet, and she is armed. You almost lost your arm, man."

George looked at me, and I removed my hand from the inside of my cloak. He couldn't see my face because of the hood I was wearing, but I was sure he could sense the tension.

"I was only going to offer her a bath. Poor thing looks filthy."

I shook my head. I didn't know these people enough to get into such a vulnerable position. I knew there was a stream around here I could use.

"Which way is the stream?" I asked them.

Albus pointed towards the east, and I started off in that direction. A young girl bounced up to me, and I stopped walking and looked at her.

"I am Lily. Al's little sister. Would you like me to come as a look out?"

I studied her for a moment. She looked about two years younger than I was. This poor girl must have spent most of her life living like this. If she were only 14 or 15, she might not even remember much else. I nodded. "Thank you, Lily."

She smiled and led me to the stream.

"It's still under our wards, but you can never be too careful."

I got undressed, and brought my sword into the stream with me. I stuck it into the bank, and bathed as best as I could without soap. Not that I was not used to it. I couldn't remember the last time I had had soap.

"I can take your clothes to be cleaned if you like."

I nodded. "Thank you."

She smiled and my lookout walked away. I swam around, keeping my blade in reaching distance. I felt someone watching me, and I stood and pulled my sword.

"Show yourself."

I heard leaves rustle and looked to my left. It was Ginny.

"I wasn't spying. I saw Lily come back to camp holding your clothes, and I realized you must be here alone. I thought you might feel better if someone was watching your back."

I lowered my blade and studied her for a minute. She looked kind. Motherly. She kind of reminded me of my own mother before my family was slaughtered.

"Thank you."

"Where is your family? You look like you are Lily's age. How old are you?"

"I am 17. My family is dead. They died two years ago and I have been on my own ever since."

She nodded, accepting that was all the information I was going to give her.

"What about your group? You are wizards. Why are you surviving in the forest like me?"

She sighed and sat down. "When the zombies got out of control, we decided it would be safer if the family stayed together. We could have stayed at our house, but we realized that if there was an emergency, we couldn't clear the house fast enough, so we grabbed our tents and headed for a large clearing nearby. It has the comforts of home and it's much safer."

"Have you been here the entire time?"

She shook her head. "Three years. We spent the first year trying to stop the zombies, but it was no use. It was already out of control. Our government had no choice but to shut down and wish everyone the best. That's when the Death Eaters came out of hiding and started wreaking havoc."

"Are they responsible for this?"

She shook her head again. "No. We thought as much at first, but we traced it back to a muggle scientist. He was already dead, and there were no notes about a cure for the disease. Would you like some soap?"

I nodded. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble. I don't wish to use your supplies."

She smiled at me kindly. "We make our own. It's no drain on us at all."

Soap, a towel, and a bucket appeared on the bank of the river, and I ducked back underwater to get wet again, and moved to the bank. I lathered my body and my hair, and filled the bucket with water to rinse off, careful not to get soap in the river. It would make the fish unfit to eat.

I dried off and wrapped my hair in the towel, grateful it was a warm summer day. It was the beginning of June, and was going to get hotter.

"Thank you for your kindness, Ginny."

"Not at all. You are so thin. When Lily returns with your clothing, I will get you something to eat."

Lily returned a few minutes later with my clothes and a brush. I accepted them, and brushed my hair before putting it back into a braid. My hair was far too long to allow it to roam free. She also handed me a toothbrush and toothpaste. Luxuries I had not had in a while. I had been using other means to brush my teeth, and this was far better.

"Gran was able to get most of the stains out, but she said some of them were even too much for her and she was not a miracle worker." She smiled at me, and I got dressed.

I inspected my clothing as I put it back on. My skirt seemed to have been repaired of the rips and tears in it and cleaned of the dirt and grass stains. My purple tank top was clean of most of its stains. I put my belt back on, and tied my knives back into their various hiding places on my thighs, shoved my favorite dagger into my boots, and put my gun at my lower back, into its holster that was clipped into my skirt, and slid my swords into their sheaths that were tied to my belt. I put my cloak back on, and looked up at Ginny and Lily who had been watching me the whole time. I had felt their eyes on me.

"What is it?" I asked them.

Lily smiled and shook her head, but Ginny looked really concerned.

"Do you have to use those often?"

I nodded. "Almost every day. I don't really use the gun, aside from emergencies because noise attracts the zombies, but the knives and swords are handy for a quick and quiet kill."

"How have you survived two years on your own?" Ginny asked.

I laughed. "I played a lot of video games when I was younger. My older brothers liked the zombie and war games, so I am pretty good at strategies and getting in and out of tight spots without getting caught. Earlier today I messed up and pushed my luck. I walked right into a den of Death Eaters and they were keeping some pets."

"Why did you risk it?"

"They had killed some men last night and had ammo I could use. I wasn't expecting them to have the pets with them, and when they smelled me, they went crazy. I got away with the bullets I needed, but almost got killed. I made the mistake of pushing my luck to eavesdrop on their conversation."

We started heading back to the camp.

"What were they talking about?" Lily asked.

"They were laughing about a family they had tortured and killed. It was sick the way they described it. Said they had it coming since the war. You people must hold grudges for a long time. The last war was during my great grandfather's time."

Ginny stopped walking. "Did you hear a name?"

I thought for a minute and tried to remember if I had in fact heard a name. "Jordan? I don't know if that was a first or last name, though."

Ginny ran towards the camp and Lily looked at me sadly. "They were friends of ours."

I felt guilt for the first time in as long as I could remember. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Honestly, you would think the wizards would be smart enough to band together in these times. It was bad enough that the hoards of the undead were killing us all off. We didn't need bad guys picking people off as well. I had learned quite a bit about the magical world in the last three years since they had made their presence known, and they seemed to think that magic made a person all powerful and indestructible. Most of them also thought people like me who couldn't use magic were beneath them.

We walked back into camp, and Harry came over to me and grabbed my shoulders roughly, and I flipped him onto his back and stood over him with my sword to his throat.

"I'm sorry about your friends, but I didn't kill them, and I won't be touched and manhandled! Thank you for your hospitality, but I believe I should take my leave."

I sheathed my sword and walked out of camp.

"Wait! Blades!"

I turned to face Albus, my hand on a throwing knife in case he drew his wand on me.

"He was only going to ask you to take someone to the Death Eater camp since you know where it is. My father doesn't always think out his actions when he is upset."

"Then it is a wonder he has lived this long. If it were not for your mother's kindness towards me, your father would be dead right now for threatening me."

That wasn't true. I would never kill someone with children to look after, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"Will you take me to the camp?"

I looked him up and down, and shook my head. "No. You are too loud. I heard you coming earlier, and you talk too loud. You will get us both killed."

"What if I made us invisible?"

"Even if you could, the zombies can smell us and the Death Eaters can hear us. You walk like an elephant."

He sighed and gave me a pleading look. "Please. I will follow your lead."

"Did you kill those Death Eaters from earlier?" I needed you know if he was weak or not.

He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, I did. They were going to kill you or feed you to those monsters."

"Could you do it again?"

He nodded. "I don't relish killing, but I can if I have to."

"Good for you. Let's go. You said you could make us invisible?"

"We have to go back to camp first. I need something."

He took my hand and I followed him back. He ran to a tent, talked to his father, and grabbed something and came back to me.

"You have to take your cloak off. I can't fit it under here with both of us."

I took my cloak off and hung it in the nearest tree branch. We were within the camp, so I knew it would be safe. Al threw the cloak over both of us and I looked at him quizzically.

"Invisibility cloak. It belongs to my father and we use it to gather food and to be look outs."

"You do know they can still smell you under this, right?" I whispered since we were already out of the protection of the camp.

"It isn't the hordes of undead we are concerned about. We can get kill them quickly and without a fight."

I nodded. They had wands. Of course they could take care of a pesky zombie much easier than I could.

I stopped walking and looked around, trying to get my bearings. I had only been in this area for two days, and hadn't gotten the lay of the land yet. I realized we needed to turn west and nudged him in that direction.

About twenty minutes later we arrived at the Death Eater camp. It was a little cabin in a clearing and we could hear people talking. Their pets could smell us and were groaning and trying to move in our direction, but thankfully, they were chained up.

We moved under the window where I had been earlier and listened. I pulled my sword just in case, but Al put his hand on mine and shook his head. He showed me his wand and put his finger to his lips. He poked his head up to peek in the window and showed me four fingers. I assumed that was how many Death Eaters were in the cabin.

"They shouldn't be taking this long! It was one damn muggle girl! I say we go look for them!" Said a female Death Eater. "We should have just grabbed her and fed her to the beasts!"

I went pale. That was what they had planned to do? I felt sick and looked at Al. He looked pissed. He was clenching his wand, and I could tell he was about to attack.

"Be still!" A man shouted. "Maybe she hid and they are looking for her. That girl has been causing trouble for weeks and we haven't caught her yet!"

Another man laughed. "She _was_ a pretty little thing maybe they are having some fun first."

That was Al's final straw apparently, because that was the point that he stood again, face contorted in rage, and green bolts shot out of his wand. He ducked when his fire was returned, and he showed me two fingers, and I nodded. I looked around and made sure the zombies were restrained, and pulled my gun. I sighed when I saw one of the Death Eaters run towards the back of the cabin towards us and shot him in the face. I pointed one finger to Al and he grinned at me. I left the safety of the cloak and moved around the corner and ducked under another window to peer in the cabin, but didn't see anyone. They must have run away.

I heard Al scream and ran back towards the back of the cabin. I was wrong. The bitch didn't run. She was setting free the zombies. Al had been too busy aiming into the cabin that he didn't see her or the three zombies that she had set loose who had sniffed him out. I pulled my dagger out of my boot and flung it at the one closest to Al, and nailed it between the eyes. I shot the Death Eater in the back of the head, and pulled my sword to deal with the rest of the zombies while Al had his freak out. I knew he regained his senses, when green lights flew past me towards the remaining creatures. Aside from the two gun shots and Al's scream we had been completely quiet.

Al cast a spell on the cabin and then went in. I followed him a moment later after making sure everything and everyone was dead.

"That could have gone better." I told him with a raised eyebrow.

He huffed and looked at me. "They were going to rape you and feed you to those creatures. It annoyed me."

"That was if they could catch me, which they couldn't. You heard them, they have been trying for weeks. I had no idea I was already on their radar."

He looked up from the papers he was going through and grinned at me. "What did you do?"

I shrugged. "Stole some food, killed a few of them, you know. Normal survival practices. I guess they finally saw my face."

I had suspected as much, considering two weeks prior, I had saved a little girl from their clutches, and as I was running away, my hood fell. She was a muggle child about nine years old, and they had her in servitude and it pissed me off. I thought I had recognized that female. I delivered the child to a church and left again.

"So what are we doing here anyway? What was your father looking for?"

"Records. He wanted to see if they were keeping track of anything"

"We should get out of here. Just grab everything and let's go." I was feeling antsy, and I NEVER defied my instincts.

I heard a twig snap outside and some cursing. I looked at Al and he ran over to me and threw his arms over me and put the cloak over us. We squatted in a corner and waited. I gave him a curious look, and he grinned and showed me the papers. I gave him an 'I told you so' glare, and held still. We could hear whoever it was walking cautiously around the camp, and I tensed when they moved closer to the cabin.

"Al?"

He breathed a sigh of relief, but I threw my hand over his mouth and shook my head. You never knew who could be aware of his presence in the area. Yes, I was aware that it made me paranoid, but I didn't care. Paranoid was better than dead.

"AL! We heard the gunshots! Are you and Blades ok? Please come out if you are." Whoever the man was, he was yelling.

I shook my head again. That still wasn't good enough. How had his family heard gunshots from that far away?

The two men came in the cabin and I narrowed my eyes. They were blonde, and I looked at Al curiously, and he nodded. I shook my head again, desperate for him to understand the oddity of the situation. The men looked around.

"Maybe they left already. The place looks cleaned out, and Harry said they had a ten minute head start." The older one said.

The younger doppelganger laughed. "Did you see those beheaded corpses? That chick must be as tough as Harry described!"

The older one shushed him. "Be quiet! We might not have been the only ones to hear those shots."

I nodded and rolled my eyes.

They walked over to the desk, and the older man sighed.

"He already got the papers. "Let's get back, and hopefully we will catch up to them, or meet them back at camp. They obviously didn't need our help after all."

We heard someone else stomping into camp and swearing at the top of their lungs. Al shot a panicked look at the pair of blondes who had drawn their wands and aimed them at the door. I nodded, and we each grabbed a blonde and covered their mouths before pulling them under the cloak and ducking back down. With four of us under, it was becoming a bit stretched. I grabbed the dagger from my boot that I had retrieved from the zombie's forehead, and crept quietly behind the door. I knelt down and waited for the Death Eater to bust in. I saw two fingers appear from thin air and nodded. I pulled my sword as well.

"You check the cabin! They might still be here!" A man shouted. I rolled my eyes. These people had no idea about stealth.

"They?" Another man asked.

"One was obviously a muggle. We heard the gunshots. One of these beasts was killed with magic, though, and a few are beheaded. I am guessing there were at least three people."

I smirked. "_Wrong!_" I thought.

The man came through the door, and when he got in front of me, I jabbed my dagger into his throat so he couldn't scream. He gurgled and fell to the floor. Remembering that the knife had recently had zombie blood on it, I then pulled my swords and gave him a quick beheading before retrieving my dagger from his jugular. I rolled my nose and cleaned it on his clothes before putting it back in my shoe. The same with the swords. I didn't like blood on my blades. It made them dull. I saw a flash of green go past my head, and when I looked up, Death Eater number two was dead. I checked their arms to be sure and nodded to myself.

"We need to get the hell out of here, Al." I said to no one, because I didn't know where he was.

He appeared near the window and nodded his head. "Draco, you and Scorpius take the cloak and head back to camp. Blades and I will follow you. Let's go."

The older man nodded and threw the cloak back over himself and we ran back to the camp. It didn't take us near as long to get back since we were not huddled under the cloak, and we only ran into one zombie, but Al killed it without even breaking stride. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the clearing. With the wards up, my natural instincts still repelled me from it, and Al had to force me in.

A minute later, the blonde men popped out of nowhere smiling. Al ran over to his father and handed him the papers.

"You should have seen her, Dad. She didn't even flinch! She saved my life too!"

My blood ran cold and I ran over to him as I remembered something.

"Did it get you at all? Scratches or anything?"

I grabbed his arms to look him over and he smiled and shook his head.

"Didn't even touch me. It just startled me and you killed it before I could." He was blushing and I let go of him.

I nodded my head. "Good. Let's work on keeping your family intact."

I looked to Harry. "Those were all of the papers they had."

He nodded. "Thank you for keeping my son safe."

I nodded my head and walk to my cloak and put it back on. I was going to leave, when Ginny came to me and grabbed my arm.

"Please stay. It's the least we can do, and we can feed you as well. We have an extra room you can use and hot water for you to take a bath. With soap."

I smiled at her and nodded. "The food sounds good, but I don't need the room. I prefer outside where I can see my surroundings." I blushed. "The bath sounds nice too. I haven't had hot water in a very long time."

She beamed at me. "Come eat, then."

I followed her to the same tent Al and his father had gone into, and looked around. It was a freaking four bedroom house on the inside! She showed me where I could wash my hands, and I took my cloak off again so I could eat comfortably.

"Thank you very much. This looks delicious." I told her as she set some plates down in front of me. I hadn't had a hot meal in weeks. I had been in the woods and nervous about starting a fire to cook. I didn't want the smell to attract anything. I usually only set fires in abandoned homes, and never in the fireplaces.

I finished eating, thanked them for the meal, and Ginny lead me to a bathroom. She filled the tub with hot water from her wand and pointed to the soap and shampoo. I quickly undressed, and sank into the tub. It was sweet bliss, and after I scrubbed clean, I leaned back and let the hot water relax my muscles.

I soaked until the water started turning cold and hopped out to dry off and get dressed. I came out of the bathroom and noticed it was getting dark outside. I found the tree I had hung my cloak on and started climbing. I always slept in trees. They were high and it was easy to hide in them.

I was about midway up when Al called to me.

"Oi! Blades! What are you doing?"

"Going to sleep. What does it look like?"

"You sleep in trees?"

"Yes. They are good cover."

"Why don't you sleep in a bed tonight?"

"Because I prefer this." It wasn't exactly true. I preferred the safety of the tree, not the comfort.

To my astonishment, Al followed me up. I gave him a curious look, but he just grinned at me.

"I can't let you sleep here alone. It's a wizard thing. You saved my life, and now it belongs to you. I owe you a life debt."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Technically you saved my life earlier, so we are even."

"I didn't save you. They were running the wrong way. I just made sure they didn't come back."

"Al, seriously, you don't have to follow me into a tree. I only did what anyone else would have done by not allowing you to become zombie lunch."

He shrugged and settled into a nearby branch. "It doesn't matter."

I laughed at him. "Fine but don't blame me when you fall out of the tree and break a limb."

He chuckled and nodded. "Deal. How long have you been alone?"

"About two years. My family was slaughtered by Death Eaters. My brother hid me away and tried to run, but they got him. I stayed in that spot for three days because I was scared to come out. Thankfully that was before they got a taste for feeding their victims to the zombies."

"Why did they target your family?"

"They didn't. They targeted an area that we were in. They killed everyone else too. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I'm sorry that that happened to you. You can stay with us, you know. It's safe here. Any zombies that come near just go off in the other direction."

I looked at him. "What do you do all day? Just wander around camp waiting for the end of the apocalypse?"

He laughed. "No. We look for food and cloth, the underage kids study, we do chores, stuff like that. Sometimes we make runs into the nearest town for supplies. My mom and my Aunt Mione have a garden that they take care of as well. We play games, and try to live as normal a life as possible. At this point it's really all we can do."

I thought about what he said. Some peace and quiet would be nice for a change. Maybe just a couple of days.

"I will think about it."

He smiled at me and I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke in the early morning to the sound of movement outside of the barrier. I stood up and walked to the end of the branch and looked around. I finally spotted the source of the noise. It was a giant rabbit. I licked my lips. Breakfast. Unfortunately it wasn't enough for everyone so I had to let it go. Also if I left the barrier, I couldn't get back in without making noise, so I stood there and watched the animal and smiled at it. It had been given a stay of execution for today. I glanced over at Al who had survived the branch and was still sleeping soundly. I smiled at him as well. He really was good looking, and very sweet. I moved over to his branch and sat down in front of him. I was trying to figure out how to wake him up when he opened his eyes and gasped. At least he didn't scream.

"I am going to the stream to wash my face and wake up. Can you get down alone or do you need help?"

He smiled at me and looked down. "I can do it on my own, but maybe you should go first and show me which branches to use."

I nodded and climbed down the tree. I looked up to be sure he wasn't stuck, and waited for him on the ground. We walked to the stream, and I took off my cloak, weapons, and boots, and tied my skirt into a knot so I could wade into the water. Al, on the other hand, stripped his clothes off completely aside from his boxers and dove in.

He surfaced and smiled at me. "Don't you want to swim? It was hot and sticky in that tree."

I laughed at him. "I think I am ok." Truthfully, I would have loved to swim and cool off, but I was not going to take my clothes off in front of him. I stepped back out of the water and untied my hair from its braid. I could at least wash the sweat from my scalp, though.

I stepped back into the water and leaned forward to wash my hair when something grabbed me and pulled me under water. I screamed right before my face went under. I twirled around and realized that it was Al, and he had an evil glint in his eyes and a giant smile on his face. I tried to look annoyed, but I smiled instead. I couldn't help myself.

We surfaced and I glared at him. "Why did you do that?"

He shrugged but didn't release me from his arms. "You looked hot and sweaty. I didn't want you to suffer on my account, so I decided to get you wet."

I blushed at his phrasing, and hoped he didn't notice. I did feel cooler.

"We move into the highlands of Scotland in the summer where it's cooler. You should come with us."

I was about to answer when I saw a man running towards us.

"Al! We heard a scream, is everything ok?"

Al turned and smiled at the man. "Yeah, sorry Teddy! Blades slipped and fell into the stream and it startled her! Tell everyone we are fine."

Teddy nodded and walked back to camp. Al turned back to me with a grin. "What do you say?"

"When do you leave?"

"A few days. My brother James is up there right now with a small group of scouts making sure everything is clear. He should be back this afternoon."

I nodded. "Ok. I always wanted to go to Scotland." It would be nice to get out of England and into a change of scenery. I had been considering it for about a month anyway.

He smiled and hugged me. It surprised me at first. I was not used to affection anymore. I had been without family for two years, and this was the wrong world to take a mate in, so I did my best to stave off my teenage hormones. Being this close to Al, however, was making that difficult. When he released me, I dove back into to water. We swam around for a bit, and got out. I sat on the bank of the stream to let my clothes dry, but he walked over to me and waved his wand, and I was dry. I could get used to being around magic. I put my weapons and boots back on, and we went back to camp where Al had promised me coffee. I could have kissed him right then.

James returned a few hours later, and I was sitting in the tent with Ginny, peeling potatoes when he came running in. He looked exactly like his brother, but had his mother's eyes and no glasses. He gave me a curious look but took off in search of his father after kissing his mother's cheek and stealing what looked like a biscuit, but I couldn't be sure.

"My other son, James. He just got back from Scotland. Al says you might be joining us there?"

I nodded. "If that's ok with everyone. I don't want to intrude. I just always wanted to see the place, and I thought a change of scenery would be nice."

She took my hand, and I looked into her eyes. "It would be lovely if you came with us. Al seems to have attached himself to you, even before you saved his life." She gave me a knowing smile, and I shook my head.

"It isn't like that. I do not think this is the proper time to take a mate."

She shrugged. "I don't see why not. The human race has to survive somehow."

I sighed. "It's only because I am the first female he has probably seen in the last three years who isn't related to him."

"No, you aren't. We have not lost contact with our friends. You met Lily's boyfriend yesterday. When she turns seventeen in three months, they are going to be married. James isn't married because he hasn't met the right girl yet, but I think Al has."

"Lily is almost seventeen? How old is Al?"

"Eighteen. He will be nineteen in December." She looked confused.

"I just thought Lily was fifteen."

"How old are you?" She asked.

"I turned seventeen last month."

Lily came running in the tent looking annoyed. "James and Al are fighting again."

Ginny groaned and stood up, and I followed her out of the tent. We were met with the sight of the two brothers rolling around in the grass. Ginny made to move towards them, but I held her back.

"The way they are rolling around, you will get pulled in with them and they might hurt you." I told her.

"What do you suggest?"

I grinned and pulled my gun from my back and fired it into the air, and they pulled apart. I winked at Ginny and sat down on the grass.

She laughed at me and moved towards her sons. She grabbed each of them by the ear and pulled them up. I smiled remembering how just yesterday I thought she looked like my mother. Now even more so, as she had an ear in each hand like my own mum had done with my brothers.

"What is the matter with you two?" She asked them furiously.

"James was being crude!" Al spat.

"James?" She looked at her other son.

"I was only teasing Al about his new girlfriend, and he flipped out!"

They both looked at me and I blushed and walked back into the tent. His girlfriend?

"He was talking about her legs!" I heard Al declare.

I laughed and set back to peeling potatoes. I tuned out them out, and Lily came in and sat in Ginny's seat to help me.

"So are you Al's girlfriend?" She asked with a wicked grin.

I blushed again. "I don't even know him."

"Has he kissed you?"

I looked at her, astonished. "No!"

This family sure was nosey.

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He has obviously laid a claim on you for some reason, and everyone can tell he has it for you."

I sighed. "I saved his life yesterday. He said that means something."

She nodded. "It does, but he fancied you before that. I bet it was love at first sight!"

She beamed at me and I laughed at her. "I doubt that. The first time he saw me, I had a knife to his throat and was accusing him of being a Death Eater."

She rolled her eyes. "That will do it. The men in this family have a thing for women who can take care of themselves. It makes them feel like superheroes or something."

"What?" Now I was curious.

She grinned and leaned towards me so she could lower her voice.

"You know what a hero complex is, don't you?"

I nodded.

"Well, all of my brothers have it, and so does my dad. Anyway, they find a woman who doesn't really need them, and try to protect her anyway. My mum says it's the male ego at its finest."

I laughed at her so hard I had tears in my eyes. Was she serious? She smiled at me and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Like it or not, we are going to be sisters. Once a Weasley has their sights on someone, they don't give up."

"A Weasley?"

She nodded. "My mother's side of the family. We all have those genes too. I hear it makes us incredible lovers."

I gasped. "Where did you hear that?"

She shrugged. "People talk when they think no one is listening."

I nodded. That they did.

She looked at my swords. "Will you teach me?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You want to learn to sword fight?"

She nodded. "I am bored, and I think it would be cool to learn."

I nodded and she looked around before whipping out her wand and peeling the potatoes with one flick.

"Why didn't your mother just do that?"

Lily shrugged. "She thinks this is relaxing. I don't have the patience."

We walked outside, and I used my sword to draw a circle in the dirt. I handed her one of my swords, and took my knives and gun off to prevent myself from cheating. I tied my hair into a knot on my head, and she did the same.

I showed her how to hold it first, and then got down to business.

"Ok, lesson number one, you want to swing it to decapitate. You have to disconnect the brain from the rest of the body or you can't kill a zombie. Also, it's kinder and quicker if you have to kill a human."

She nodded and followed my movements. I was impressed with how quickly she picked up on it.

"Wow, you are like a samurai or something!" She exclaimed.

I laughed at her. "Hardly. Is it possible for you to conjure some practice dummies?"

She nodded. "Naurally. Do you want moving or non-moving?"

"Non-moving first. Let's see how you do before we give you a moving target to work with."

She conjured one of those straw made practice dummies, and I grinned at her. It was exactly what I wanted.

"Ok, now stand like this." I demonstrated, and she copied me. When I was satisfied, I nodded and moved on. "Now swing your sword in one quick motion like this." I showed her what to do, and stopped at the neck of the dummy so I didn't remove the head for her.

She did it, but her aim was high, and she only took part of the head off. She looked disappointed, but I was quick to assure her.

"That wasn't bad for a first try, and it would be effective, just incredibly bloody, and I don't think getting sprayed with Zombie blood is a good thing. If you have an open wound or if your eyes or mouth are open, you could get infected."

She flicked her wand to repair the damage, and tried again. On her fifth try, she hit the neck, and the head rolled off. A round of applause erupted behind us, and I turned to see her family watching us. Her father looked incredibly proud. She blushed and took a bow.

"That was very good, Lily." I told her. "Now remember what you did and try again. The more you practice, the easier it will get."

When she successfully did it three times in a row, we stopped. We had been at it a few hours and it was starting to get dark.

"Let's go to the stream and cool off." I told her.

She nodded and followed me back to the stream. We stripped our clothes off and got in the water.

"In Scotland, they have these rivers with underground caves and pools that we can turn into hot springs." She told me with a gleam in her eye.

"Really? That sounds amazing right now." I sat on the bank, but still in the river, and washed the stains from my clothes.

"My gran would clean that for you. I can loan you some clothes until we get some made for you too."

I shrugged. "Ok."

She finished swimming, dried herself off and got dressed. She took my clothes and left to locate her grandmother. I swam around for a few more minutes and heard some laughter heading this way. It was male voices, and instead of calling out to them like a sane person would have done, I hid behind a large rock.

I blushed when I saw them undressing completely, and ducked back into my hiding spot. It was Al, James, Teddy, and Scorpius. I prayed they didn't come out this far.

James was telling them about some cave he found that would be big enough for the miniature village they had going on.

"So Al, is your cute little friend coming with us?"

"Shut up, James. Blades is cool. She is more than just pretty, and you need to back off." Al told him.

I smiled. Tell him, Al.

"Has she even told you her real name yet?" James taunted.

"James! That's not cool, mate. She might not remember it. Mum said she has been on her own for two years after she saw her family get murdered. She is probably traumatized." Teddy told him.

I didn't know Teddy was their brother. He was much older than them.

"Scorpius thinks she is hot too!" James defended. I rolled my eyes. Dig in deeper, idiot.

I heard a splash and someone cursed.

"Dammit Al! I only said it was sexy the way she went all ninja in the cabin."

Teddy laughed. "I'm telling Lily."

I sighed. Men gossiped worse than those old ladies in quilting circles.

"We were talking about Al." Scorpius said. I almost laughed. "Have you kissed her? Don't try to deny you fancy her. A life debt doesn't require you to sleep in a tree."

I felt some guilt, but hey, he didn't have to stay up there with me.

"I didn't have to, but it was worth it. I woke up this morning, and she was standing on a branch watching a rabbit, and she looked like something from a dream. And no, I haven't kissed her."

James laughed. "After what she did to dad yesterday, I don't blame you. George told me she damn near cut his head off. They thought they were going to have to stun her."

"Dad should know better than to grab a scared person who is armed." Al defended. "Hell, he was an auror for twenty years."

I bit my lip. I should apologize for that.

They were swimming around. I could hear them splashing around and laughing some more.

"Hey! Where did Blades go?" It was Lily.

My heart sank.

"What? No one was here." Al told her.

"Um, she is running around naked then because Gran has her clothes, and I brought her some fresh ones."

I heard movement in the grass and people getting out of the water.

"She might have heard us coming and ran off! Al, you wait here, and the rest of us will split up and look for her! She might be trapped out of the barrier, and if she is naked, she doesn't have her weapons." Teddy told them.

I closed my eyes and sank deeper into the water. I wasn't going to let them know I heard their conversation.

"You can come out now." Al said softly.

I blushed and came out of the protection of the rock.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't hear water splash when we were approaching. I knew you had to still be here somewhere."

"Why didn't you tell them that?"

He grinned at me. "You didn't say anything so I figured you were embarrassed that you heard our conversation."

I blushed and ducked under the water.

I resurfaced and tried to keep a straight face. "I didn't hear anything."

He laughed and took my wrist and pulled me to him. "Yes you did. It's ok. Don't be embarrassed about it."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to kiss me now, Al? Seems you have been wanting to for a while."

He chuckled and released me. "Not yet. We are naked and it would be wrong of me to take advantage of our predicament. There are clothes on the bank for you."

He ducked underwater and stayed where I could see him. When his back was turned, I got out of the water and strained as much as I could from my hair. I slipped on the cotton shorts and tank top Lily gave me.

"I'm decent." I told him. He turned around and sent green sparks into the air. I heard people running towards us and sat down to put on the socks Lily was sweet to grab for me, and my boots. She and the guys came running over.

"Where were you?" Lily asked.

"Um, I didn't have any clothes, so when I heard the guys coming, I hid."

She grinned at me and nodded. "Well let's go eat some dinner before you go to sleep." She waved her wand at my hair and it dried. "I like your hair down. It's pretty."

I blushed and followed her back to the camp.

That night I climbed back into the tree and wondered what the hell I was going to do when we went Scotland. I doubted there were going to be trees in a cave. I tied my hair into a knot on my head so that it didn't tangle into the bark and laid my head back.

I felt Al climbing the tree, and looked down. I had to grab the trunk so he didn't knock me down.

"You are shaking the tree, Al!"

He stopped climbing and looked at me. "Sorry I don't have your ninja skills."

"I have _mad_ ninja skills and don't forget it."

He laughed and took my offered hand so I could help him onto my branch. He sat against the trunk and leaned back.

"You sure you don't want a bed?" He asked.

I nodded. "I feel safer up here. You don't have to sleep up here, Al."

He shrugged. "It has its perks."

I smiled and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"To another branch to sleep." I told him. Where did he think I was going?

"Stay here with me."

"Why?"

"I can be your pillow and you can protect me." He said with a grin.

I smiled and turned around, and sat between his legs. I leaned my back against his chest, and put my head back on his shoulder. I had to admit this was far more comfortable than the tree trunk.

He put his arms around my waist, and I smiled. Human contact was far better than I remembered. I put my hands over his, and he entwined our fingers. I was pretty sure he could hear my heart racing. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep in his arms.

I awoke in the middle of the night when I sensed danger. I could hear shuffled movement on the forest floor. I stood up and walked to the end of the branch. There were fifteen or more zombies wandering around aimlessly.

I went over to Al and put my fingers over his mouth and woke him up. He opened his eyes and looked at me curiously. I put a finger to my lips and pointed. He looked past me and gasped. He took out his wand and fired a spell at each of the tents.

I grabbed my swords and climbed down the tree as people were moving out of the tents with their wands.

Harry ran over to me. "How many?"

"It looks like fifteen." I told him.

He nodded and we all stepped out of the barrier to fight them off. They were starting to surround us, so I moved faster. I kicked a few to knock them back and cut their heads off. I saw one grab a girl I heard called Rose, and got it off of her before I killed it. She was screaming and I was afraid the blood would land in her mouth.

I glared at her. "Go back into the camp! Your screaming will attract more, and you are making things worse!"

She nodded and ran back behind the barrier. I honestly hoped she was on the gatherer end of the duties. Something hit my back, and I turned my head to see Lily with her back to mine and her wand out.

I smiled and went back to killing. We got down to three, and more came out of the woods. I rolled my eyes. I was going to murder Rose. I drew my knives and started aiming for foreheads. I decided I was going to make myself a bow and some arrows tomorrow. I pulled out my gun and started shooting. Maybe we could clear this mess and get back into camp before the next wave came. We were seriously outnumbered and Rose and I made it worse.

_**A/N: Oooh… Cliffhanger! If you want to see Blades' outfit, Google image FF X-2 Yuna Gun mage. I always loved that outfit and thought it would be perfect for my heroine.**_


	2. Chapter 2

We were surrounded and I knew we were going to die. I kind of wished I had kissed Al.

_Al! _

I looked around and didn't see him anywhere. Maybe he was still in the camp. Green lights were flashing everywhere and I didn't have time for a rescue mission. I only hoped that he was safe. We worked through the mob, and when it was clear, we backed into to the safety of the camp. At least, they did. I was trapped on the outside until I felt someone grab my waist and pull me back. I looked up and saw Teddy.

"Are you ok? Were you bit or anything?"

I shook my head. "I'm ok. Is everyone else ok?"

He nodded.

"Where is Al?"

Teddy pointed to the tree where Al was standing on a branch with a smile on his face.

"I just fired from up here." He said.

I rolled my eyes and went in search of the cause of my shaking hands. I found her talking to her parents. I grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

"YOU STUPID GIT!"

She looked like I had slapped her.

"Excuse me?"

"If you are going to scream like that and bring more on us, stay your ass in the camp! You could have gotten someone else killed! Don't try to help if you can't handle it when one grabs you!"

"You were the one firing gun shots!"

"It didn't matter at that point! I had no choice! Do everyone a favor and next time something happens, stay here with the other children!"

I stomped off towards the stream and heard Al yell. "Three more!"

I sighed and ran back over to the mess. I was pissed and these zombies were about to feel my wrath. I ran to wait for them to exit the woods and pulled both of my swords and decapitated two at once, spun around, and got the third. It was quick and quiet and shouldn't have attracted more attention. Harry came out and pulled me back into the camp. I was covered in blood and only hoped I didn't have any wounds.

He pointed his wand at me and cleaned me off.

"It should be safe for you to get in the stream now."

I nodded and threw my swords and knives down. If there were more of those things, they could handle it.

I got to the stream and stripped down and sat on the bank and tried to stop shaking. That had scared the shit out of me. It wasn't even me I had been worried about. It was stupid Al and his stupid family!

I jumped in the stream and tried to calm down. I closed my eyes and stayed under the water for as long as I could. When I popped my head up, Al was in the stream with me.

"What are you doing? I'm naked."

He grinned. "So am I. I thought you could use someone to talk to. I saw what happened with Rose." He laughed. "I can't believe you told her off like that."

"She deserved it!" I told him.

He moved closer to me. "I know."

"I thought something happened to you." I whispered.

He smirked. "Were you worried about me?"

I nodded and blushed.

He put his hands on my hips and pulled me closer to him. He lifted my chin to face him.

"Why are you embarrassed about being worried for my safety?"

"I'm not! I'm angry about it! I cared more about you and your family than my own life! That hasn't happened before."

Well, that wasn't exactly true. That little girl I had saved a few weeks prior.

"Why does that make you angry?"

"Because I don't want to get attached to anyone!"

"Tell me your real name."

I shook my head.

"Please."

My heart swelled a bit and I knew I was screwed. "Lexa." I whispered.

"That's a pretty name." He said.

He leaned down and my breath caught as he brushed his lips against mine. I raised up on my toes and added a bit more pressure to the kiss. I felt my heart flutter. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he slid his hands down and cupped my ass. He lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He deepened the kiss and I moaned.

I could feel his erection between us, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it should. He licked my lips and I opened them to allow him to explore my mouth with his tongue. He gripped my ass even tighter and groaned. I reached up and pulled his hair.

I heard a gasp and we both looked up to see Lily standing there with clean clothes and her mouth was open. We pulled apart, and I ducked under the water. When I resurfaced she was gone and the clothes were on the bank of the river. Al was laughing.

"Don't worry about it. She won't say anything. I can't even tell you how many times I caught her in the same position with Scorpius."

"Yes, but they are engaged."

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore. None of it does. Honestly, where is the scandal? There is no one to please, so we all just stopped caring."

I nodded. He had a point. I got out of the water and got dressed. I didn't care if Al was looking this time. If he hadn't seen it, he felt it. I heard him get out of the water as well, and didn't wait for him before I headed back.

I climbed my tree, and sat on my branch to braid my hair and laid my head back. This time Al didn't join me, and I was kind of glad about that. I grabbed my cloak and pulled it over me. It actually felt kind of cold up here without him in the next branch.

The next morning I woke up and was surprised to see Al in the branch next to me. I had no idea when he had climbed up and why it hadn't woke me up. It kind of unnerved me. I got down and walked to the stream to splash my face.

When I came back to camp, Harry handed me a cup of coffee and asked me to join him in the middle tent. I nodded and followed him in. There were ten other men gathered around the table. I recognized seven of them as the Weasleys: Ron, George, Fred, Percy, Charlie, Bill, and Arthur. The others were Teddy, Draco, and one I didn't know.

"Blades, this is the council. Most of them you know, but I don't think you have met Neville Longbottom."

I shook my head and when he stood to shake my hand, I accepted it.

I raised an eyebrow at Harry. "You have a council?"

He nodded. "We are mostly family, but we have banded with friends as well for safety. Everyone contributes to the community."

Why was he telling me this? "Ok."

"Please have a seat."

I took the only available chair between George and Draco.

"Blades," Harry started, but I held my hand up and stopped him.

"Lexa."

He nodded and continued. "Lexa, it is my son's desire that you travel with us to Scotland."

Was that what this was about? I nodded.

"As I said, everyone in this community has a place. We all have jobs to do. If you wish to come with us, you will be assigned a duty. Are you ok with that?"

I nodded again. I didn't really care as long as I didn't get bored.

"The skills you demonstrated last night give us a few options for you. We wanted you to be a lookout, however, your lack of a wand will be a hindrance and only slow down our current warning time. So, we were thinking you could be hunting and defense."

I smiled. I liked that idea.

"What is defense? Like what happened last night? Fighting?"

He nodded.

"On one condition. I would love to help fight the hordes of the undead, but I will not do so if we get another repeat of last night. That Rose girl, and anyone else who has a habit of screaming and making more noise than necessary stays out of it, or I walk away. I mean it. Right then and there. I am not trying to act like big shit here, but you all know that scream took our count from fifteen to twenty eight. Granted my gun shots brought a few more, but she made it necessary."

They all nodded in agreement and I noticed Ron was frowning.

"That sounds reasonable." Harry said. "Are we all agreed?" Everyone nodded again. "Now we are leaving this afternoon. We don't want another incident like last night, and as we all know, the very small population near where we are going means that it is in fact, much safer there. The wives are packing up the tents. James, Frank, Teddy, and Scorpius are going to side-along apparate people who will then come back and side-along with others until we get everyone there. It's the safest course, and Hermione and Fleur will be in the first group in case of splinching."

I didn't understand a word he was saying. I was too busy wondering why there were only men on the council. Surely they included the women in these decisions.

"Lexa, we would like you to go in with the first group and make sure everything is clear."

I nodded. "Should I go grab my gear?"

He nodded and I left.

Al met me outside of the tent. "What did they say?"

"They gave me a job and said I was going with the first group to Scotland to make sure everything was clear."

"Do you know who else is going?"

"Your brothers. I have to go get my stuff."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. He sure was brave when I didn't have a blade with me.

"Can we talk?"

"About what? You not coming back to the tree until I was asleep?" I gave him an annoyed look and tried to cover the hurt.

"I thought you needed space. You were kind of embarrassed about my sister catching our little snog session, and walked off without a word. I still came back, and I was even careful to be quiet and not wake you up."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I noticed."

"Is that what's really bothering you?"

I sighed. I wasn't used to these emotions. "I don't know. It was just weird how you went from wanting me to sleep in your arms to kissing me in the stream, and then to sleeping on a separate branch and not even waking me up to let me know you were there or to say goodnight. It made me feel kind of gross."

He nodded and let me go. I walked off and went to find my weapons. I wasn't going anywhere without them. I went to the spot where I had left them last night after my fit, and couldn't find them.

"Lily!" I called to her.

I looked around and couldn't find her anywhere. She wasn't in her parents' tent or using them to train. My swords were gone and so was Lily.

"She has them in the third tent to the left."

I turned around and saw a red headed boy.

"Thanks."

"Hugo."

"Thank you, Hugo." I smiled at him and ran to the tent Lily was in.

"Blades! We cleaned and sharpened your knives and made you some clothes. I think you will like them." She said with a smile and handed me a bag.

I looked in it, and it reminded me of a movie I had seen when I was a child about a magical nanny who could pull all kinds of odd things from her carpet bag.

Lily laughed at my smile.

"It has an undetectable expansion charm on it. We all have them. It has all kinds of things in there for you. Your swords and clothes are in it as well."

I nodded. "Thank you, Lil."

"No problem." She smiled at me and I sat on the floor to find my original outfit and my knives. I would check out the rest of the clothes when we got to Scotland. Since we were the only ones in the tent, I changed and armed myself. I didn't like not being armed. I took my hair out of its braid and liked the way the waves looked in it, so I decided to leave it down.

"Have you tested the sharpness of the blades?"

She nodded and held up shreds of silk.

"Every single one of them, and I used Rose's favorite scarf to do so." I saw the evil glint in her eye as she said it.

I laughed and ran out of the tent. I wasn't going to be there when that fight happened. I knew I liked Lily. She came chasing after me.

"By the way, I am really sorry about last night. I didn't mean to interrupt. I had no idea Al was with you, and I was just surprised."

I stopped walking and pulled her to the side. "We weren't having sex or anything. We were just kissing and happened to be naked. He was trying to comfort me."

She nodded. "I know you weren't, Blades. I know what sex looks like, and that wasn't it. Yet. Again, I am _really_ sorry."

I laughed again. "Don't worry about it, Lil. It wasn't going to go that far. I promise."

She nodded and followed me around the rest of the day. I was starting to see what my brothers had always been complaining about. She told me about how she and Scorpius were going to be married soon and how in love with him she was. It was so cute.

When it was time to go, Harry called me over to the group.

"Lexa, you are going with James and Ginny." I nodded. "Frank, you are taking Hermione and Fleur. Teddy, you take Al and Ron. Scorpius, you take Fred and Draco."

They all nodded in agreement. I looked around and wondered where all the tents and everything else had gone. They were very efficient. It once again looked like an empty clearing that no one had ever been in.

James pulled me to his side and before I could protest, I felt like I was being squeezed to death. I felt sick to my stomach, and before I knew it, it was over with. We were in a different area. It looked like something from a fairytale. I gasped as I looked at the giant waterfalls. There were three of them, side by side in the middle of a very dense forest.

We all spread out and searched to make sure all was clear before everyone left again leaving me with Hermione and Fleur. I pulled my swords and tried to listen in the quiet for any sounds. There was nothing. It was kind of unnerving. Did that mean we were the predators or the prey?

"Hermione." I whispered.

"Yes?"

"Something is wrong. It's too quiet. The animals sense a predator."

"Maybe it's us?"

I shook my head.

"No. My skin is crawling. We are being watched."

She gave me an odd look but nodded and went to talk to Fleur.

"They are going to be back any second with reinforcements."

I nodded and pulled them to the side towards the forest.

She cast out some spells.

"It's not human."

I nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. If it was undead or an animal, I could handle it. A few seconds later we heard some loud popping and I groaned. This was going to make things worse.

Hermione held out her hand to stop them from going to get anyone else.

"Stop! There is something here."

They pulled out their wands and backed into a tight circle. I climbed a tree to look around and try to listen for anything. It was still deathly quiet, and I finally heard a twig snap. I snapped my head in the direction the noise came from and leapt the trees. Luckily, the trees were close enough that I could run from one to the other easily. When I still couldn't see anything, I stopped and listened again.

I heard movement behind me and turned around to move towards it. I finally spotted the problem. It was a pack of wolves. They were circling the group and getting ready to attack. They were so focused on the group that they didn't even sense me. I didn't know if I should kill them or not. I stood there and determined which one was the pack leader. I spotted him as the one snarling his teeth. He looked bigger than the rest as well. I dropped into a lower branch, tied my hair into a knot so it didn't get in the way, whistled to get him to look up, and hung upside down to take his head off. I was right. The other wolves ran off and I grabbed the leader by the tail and dragged it back to the group.

"It was wolves." I told them, and dropped the one I had. "The rest ran off." I listened for a bit longer and noticed the other sounds of the forest returned.

I looked at Draco. "You should get everyone else here as quickly as possible and set things up. This forest is full of wild creatures, and we are their dinner."

He nodded and decided everyone was to return aside from myself, Al, and three other people. I went back to the trees and listened. The forest seemed to be alive again. I could hear birds chirping and squirrels scurrying. I sat on the branch I was on and leaned back to wait for the others.

When they arrived, the adults spread out in a large circle and started casting spells. I saw the sky go hazy for a minute, and then it was like nothing happened. Harry came to the base of the tree and called up to me.

"Lexa! Can you come down here for a minute?"

I dropped down to the ground and gave him my attention.

"Did you see where the edges of the wards are?"

I nodded.

"We included some of the forest because I know you are most comfortable outside. We are setting the tents up in the caves, however, and if you would like to come inside at any time you are welcome to. I will show you your room."

I followed him behind the falls, and into the giant cave behind the middle one. He took me into one of the tents in the middle. It seemed I was going to be sharing with Rose and Lily. He showed me my bedroom, and I was surprised to see that it was just like a regular bedroom in a house. It had a queen sized bed, a dresser, and a wardrobe.

"It's yours whenever you want it. When Lily and Scorpius get married, he will be moving in here as well."

I nodded. "Thank you." I supposed it would come in handy on rainy nights.

"Don't leave the perimeter without an escort to bring you back in. We still have to put up muggle wards as well as the others. Only official members of one of the families that put the wards up may enter."

"Ok. I think I can deal with that. So when do you want me to go hunting?"

He smiled at me. "Right now, actually. I am sending Al, James, and Scorpius with you."

"Sounds good."

I went outside to find my hunting party. "What are we looking for?"

"Anything big and a few of them. Weasleys like to eat." Al said.

I nodded and took to the trees again. I could see them below me trying to be quiet. I sighed. "You three should learn to walk in the trees. It's much quieter and you can see the prey easier."

Al stopped walking and climbed into the nearest tree. He smiled at me and looked down in his brother and his friend. "She's right, you know. It's slower, but more efficient."

They looked at each other and shrugged before climbing trees as well. I stayed in front so they could see how I was doing it. We came across a family of deer and killed the very large buck. Scorpius took him back to camp. Eventually we found another one, and James took him and left. Al and I headed off in another direction.

"One more." He told me.

I nodded at him and kept going. We eventually found another buck, and he let me kill it. He healed the wound after it was dead so that it didn't drip blood all the way back to our camp, and levitated it home.

"This should feed everyone for a couple of days."

"Three large deer? I hope so."

He laughed. "Weasleys eat. A lot."

"Why are only men on the council? Is that some sexist thing?"

He shook his head. "No, they discuss things with their wives too. The women just don't care to sit in and listen to them talking. The wives usually just back their husbands up anyway. To be on the council, you just have to be married or have a family member in the group. We all feel that if you are thinking in the best interest of your family, you will be most likely to make the best choices you can. When Scorpius marries Lily, he will be in the meetings too."

"I see. That's interesting."

"It's worked so far, Lexa."

"I'm not criticizing, Al. I was, but I'm not anymore."

He smiled at me, and we walked quietly the rest of the way. He took my hand and pulled me through the barrier. I was never going to get used to that feeling.

I ate dinner in the cave with everyone else, and then went to bathe. I found a good spot at the end of one of the far falls. It was private, and like taking a shower. It was still warm here, but not as hot as it was in England. I slipped into the sleep clothes that Molly made me, and tied my hair up. I scoped out a good tree and climbed in. I thought about the bed waiting for me, and was seriously considering it when Al climbed the tree with me.

"If we go in, can you sleep in my bed with me?"

He looked surprised, but nodded his head.

"Are you sure you feel comfortable sleeping inside?"

I shook my head. "No, but I kind of want to try it. I have slept in trees for four years. I miss having a bed. Are you sure there are people keeping an honest lookout?"

"I promise."

I climbed back down, and took Al's hand and followed him into the cave. Everyone looked surprised to see me, but I ignored it and allowed him to lead me to my bedroom. I took my boots off and laid down in the bed. It was so comfortable I fell asleep before Al even had a chance to climb in next to me.

I woke up the next to Al, and his arms were wrapped protectively around me. I turned in them, and kissed his nose. He opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"Sleep well?"

I nodded, and he kissed my lips. I was surprised, but I let him keep doing it. I kissed him back, and his hand ran up the back of my shirt, and his fingers grazed my back. I moaned and it came out more like a purr since I shivered at the same time. I put my leg over his waist, and he lowered his hand to rub my ass.

I smiled into his lips and he opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Is this ok?"

I nodded.

"I like it."

I ran my hands under his shirt and felt his stomach muscles. They twitched under my touch, and I slipped his shirt off. He gasped and kissed me harder, and I ran my nails over his back, careful not to break the skin. That would be all he needed. Getting infected because of an open wound he got making out with me.

"Lexa."

"Yes?"

"Be mine."

"What?"

"Be my girlfriend. Mine."

I nodded. "Does that make you mine as well."

He kissed my neck. "I was yours the minute you held that dagger to my throat and I saw those beautiful eyes."

I smiled. Lily had been right.

I pulled my shirt off and he pulled me closer. He rolled me onto my back and got on top of me, kissing my neck, and rubbing my sides with his hands. I grabbed his waist and pulled him closer.

He dipped his head lower, and ran his tongue over my breasts. I moaned and felt him clench my sides tighter. He was trying to restrain himself. I knew nothing about sex, but I knew all about resisting temptation. Usually because it was a trap, but this wasn't.

"Why are you holding back, Al? This isn't a trap."

"What?" He was laughing.

"You are resisting something. Holding back. I do that when I think something might be a trap, when I don't trust it. Do you not trust me?"

"Of course I do. It's not that at all. I just don't want to go farther than you want to."

Was I not half naked of my own volition? "Al, I want this as long as you really want me. I want to belong to someone. To you. I want to be yours completely."

He smiled at me and returned to kissing me.

"You will be my mate? Forever?"

I nodded.

"Say the words, Lexa. Say you will marry me, and I will stay by your side no matter what. I will protect you and love you from now to eternity."

"I will marry you, Al. I will be your mate."

He kissed my stomach and I giggled. "That tickle?"

I nodded, and he got an evil grin on his face and did it again. I squealed that time and he put a hand over my mouth.

"We don't want to be interrupted again."

I smiled and nipped his hand. He pulled my pants down, and I tugged on his. He got off of the bed, and took his pants off and I took in his manhood.

I swallowed hard, feeling nervous for the first time. "Al, I have never done this before."

"Neither have I."

I noticed his hands were shaking. He laid next to me, and kissed me again, and slid his finger inside of me. I gasped, and he slid his tongue into my mouth. I moaned and ground my hips against his hand, and he slid another finger into me. I cried out, and he caught it in his own mouth. He groaned and rolled on top of me.

He situated himself between my legs, and rubbed his thumb over my clit. I moaned and arched my back. It felt amazing. Why hadn't I thought to try this before? I felt myself tighten around his fingers, and my juices soaked them. He placed himself at my entrance, and slid in slowly. I felt him push against my barrier and stop.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

"Yes! Please, Al."

He put his mouth over mine and kissed me hard as he thrust quickly and completely into me. I dug my nails into his back and screamed, or tried to. He had my mouth covered, so I wasn't loud enough to alert anyone. He held completely still until the pain ebbed away and I moved my hips to encourage him to keep going.

He looked at me and smiled. He licked away my tears, and looked into my eyes.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No, please keep going."

He did, and it felt amazing. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he thrust deeper. The noises he was making were driving me crazy. He was growling, and it made my heart skip several beats at a time.

"Faster."

He went faster for me, and thrust deeper. I was trying so hard not to scream out. I bit my lip and tightened my throat. He kissed me again and I screamed into his mouth. I felt my stomach tighten, and he started saying my name, and I called his.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. When he finished, he collapsed next to me, and pulled me into his arms while we tried to catch our breath.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, just a bit sore."

"Did it feel good?" He sounded nervous.

"Yes, it felt very good."

I kissed him and he held me tighter. We laid there for a few minutes and decided we should get up and wash.

"What time is it? Do you think we could sneak past everyone?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea, but there is always people awake. They take shifts for lookout."

We put our clothes on, and walked to the waterfall, holding hands. When we got into the water I got a look at his back, and frowned.

"Al, you can't fight until your back heals."

He smiled at me and kissed my nose. "No worries, love. Aunt Mione is a healer, and she can fix it for me."

I blushed. "But won't she know what we did?"

"I will tell her it's from the trees last night."

I agreed, and washed his back for him. It was kind of romantic to bathe each other. He cleaned and dried my clothes so I could put them back on to go change into something fresh. He showed me where to toss my dirty clothes for them to be washed.

We went to the table, and ate some breakfast and drank some coffee. Al went to go talk to his father about something, and I went outside. I looked at the sky and noticed some clouds rolling in. If it was going to rain, I needed to do some hunting. I went to search out my hunting buddies. When I located them, I explained about the rain and that if the deer will only last a few days, we should hunt for more.

I found a ton of rabbits, and was pleased with my haul. We also caught a few more deer. I was looking forward to the rabbit, though. It had become my favorite game in the last few years. I decided that while it was raining, I was going to make my bow and arrows. It started coming down when we got close to camp, and by the time we got into the cave, it was pouring. We gave our kill to Molly, and I found some logs that had been set aside for fire, but I was sure they wouldn't mind my taking one.

I grabbed one I thought would be good to make a bow out of, and sat at the edge of the cave so I was dry, but could still watch the rain, and set to work.

"What are you doing?"

I looked up and saw Rose standing over me.

"Making a bow."

"Can I sit here with you?"

I nodded and she sat on the side of me that wasn't getting covered in wood chips. I hoped I was doing this right.

"I can make the bow for you if you want."

"You can?"

She nodded. "Do you want me to?"

"Can you make the arrows too?"

"You are going to need two more logs." She said.

I ran over to the fire pile and grabbed two more logs. If she could do this for me, I could spend the time practicing instead of making it.

I came back, and she used her wand to turn the three logs into a bow and several dozen arrows.

"Wow, Rose thank you."

She nodded. "Lexa, I am very sorry about the other night. I didn't think, and I am sorry I almost got people killed."

I sat next to her and put my hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, Rose. It is over with now, and there is nothing you can do about it. I just think maybe fighting the undead isn't your thing."

"I am usually a good fighter. I think it's just those things. They are not like inferi. We thought that was what they were at first, you know. That's why there were so many fires in the beginning. We were trying to clean it up."

"What are inferi?"

"They are like zombies, but they are controlled by someone. You can kill them with fire. They prefer the dark, and they don't turn you into one if they bite or scratch you. It's not contagious."

"I think I prefer them."

She laughed and nodded. "Me too. We stayed at school the first year, but towards the end of the school year, it somehow got into the school. We all left immediately. We had to floo out from our common rooms."

"You went to school with zombies overtaking the planet?"

She nodded. "Yes. We thought it wasn't going to affect our world, and our school is isolated. At least, we thought it was. One came out of the forest one day, and attacked a girl. As soon as that happened, we were all sent home."

Her eyes were haunted. "You saw it happen?"

She nodded. "The girl was in my class. We were having a care of magical creatures class outside right next to the forest, and we didn't even see it until it grabbed her, and it was too late for her by then. It had already bitten her. Our professor had to kill both of them. It tore him up to do it, too. He was such a sweet man."

A tear ran down her cheek.

"Was?"

She nodded. "He is gone now. Went off into solitude somewhere. He couldn't deal with what he had to do."

"I can't blame him. I had to make the same choice once and it killed me. I was depressed for weeks and just sat at the top of a tree and wouldn't come down except to eat and use the bathroom."

"What happened?"

I sighed. "There was a little boy about seven or so, and he was running from them. I tried to get to him in time, but I was too late. One got his arm and dug its nails in as I pulled him away. I killed it, but when I tried to tend to the little boy, I saw the sickness spreading on his arm. He begged me not to let him turn into one, so I had to do the only thing I could do for him."

She moved closer and put her arm around me. "I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes, and if I were in his, I would have wanted that as well."

I nodded and put my head on her shoulder. "I would too. Do you think this will ever end?"

"I have no idea. I hope so, but I don't know how. The world's population will be greatly reduced. I wonder if it's possible for them to starve to death."

I laughed at her. "I don't think so. They are already dead. It's their brains that move them, not their stomachs. I think the remaining governments are going to have to drop bombs. They will need to wipe out the majority of them before things can start to get back to normal."

She nodded. "That's what our parents think too. They have certain wards and shields up because of that. It's been three years, though, and we don't think there is a muggle government left anywhere."

"I don't think so either. There used to be police and military, but there isn't anymore. I think the last one I saw was six months after it reached England."

She sighed. "Do you want to try out your bow?"

I smiled at her and nodded. "I do."

She conjured a target on the other side of the cave opening, and I gave it a shot. She did a wonderful job. The bow was comfortable, and the arrows were sturdy. My aim needed some work, though. I relaxed and lifted my elbow. I had seen a movie once where a girl was getting instruction from her boyfriend on how to fire an arrow, so I tried to remember what he said, and gave it another try. I was impressed with myself that my aim was far better. I told myself that it was like my swords, and I only needed practice before it became second nature.

The more relaxed I became, the better my aim was. Soon I was hitting the bull's-eye every time. I smiled and fired until I was out of arrows, and then I collected them and started again. I practiced until my hand hurt.

She made me two quivers, one red and one green, and changed the colors of the feathers. She made half red and half green.

"The red ones are for killing zombies, and the green ones are for killing food."

"Oh, good thinking. I will make sure to keep them separated." I didn't know why I didn't think of that. I had a knife that was specifically for food and I never used it in a fight.

Al found us and called me over to him. I waved to Rose and thanked her again for my new weapons.

"Where did you get that?" He asked me.

"Rose. She saw me making them by hand, and made them for me. Wasn't that sweet of her?"

"She was apologizing for the other night?"

I nodded.

"Good. I need you to come to the main tent with me. We are going to announce our engagement."

"Ok. When are we getting married?"

"Tonight. My Aunt Katie is an officiator. She thought the other guy who used to do it was boring, so she got her license when she graduated."

"Why so soon?"

"There is no point in holding it off, and if you are with child right now, I want to make sure it is legitimate."

"Did you tell them what we did this morning?"

He shook his head. "Obviously not. It's none of their business."

I smiled and took his hand and followed him into the main tent. The council was in session, and there were two seats available, so we sat down across from Harry. He gave me a warm smile, and I blushed. He was going to be my new dad.

"Lexa, Al has just given me some rather surprising news. He says he asked you to marry him last night, and you accepted. Is this true?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Are you sure this is what you wish? The ceremony is legal, and even after the current state of the world has passed and things go back to normal, you will still be his wife. I understand that everything is chaos right now. You are teenagers, and your hormones are raging, and every emotion you have is intensified. Do you want to take some time to think about it?"

I shook my head. "No sir. I want to marry Al. I care deeply for him, and I couldn't ask for a better man to be my mate. I will be a good wife to him. We trust each other, and we can protect each other."

He nodded and thought for a minute. Did he have the power to decline us?

"You wish to be married tonight?"

We both nodded our heads.

"Ok, I will speak to Katie, and we will perform the ceremony after dinner." He looked around the table. "Are there any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads and smiled at us. I smiled back at them.

I headed to my room to look through my clothes and see if I had anything I could wear. I loved the clothes that Lily's gran had given me. They were all functional for hunting and fighting. I got momentarily distracted going through the bag. I emptied it out and put my clothes away. There were also some first aid items which I put back in, emergency water, and emergency food. I suppose it was in case I got stranded. I found a bracelet that matched one I had seen everyone else wearing. It had a note attached to it.

_Blades,_

_This is a tracking bracelet. If you wear it, we can find you any time, any place. Please put it on, so we can always know you are safe. It also has a switch that looks like a jewel. If you need help, just push it, and we will be there in seconds._

_Love,_

_Lily_

I put the bracelet on and it fitted itself to my wrist. I saw the red gem she was talking about, along with several other gems. I wondered if they did anything, but knew better than to test it. I had learned by now that magic was not to be messed with by those who did not know what they were doing. I had seen some crazy things in the last three years.

I found Lily in her room, studying.

"Oh, sorry."

"No, what did you need?"

"I was wondering about these underground caves you were talking about."

Her eyes lit up. "You want to go now?"

I nodded.

"Ok, let me grab some clean clothes, and I will meet you in front of the tent."

I went to my room and threw an outfit into my bag, and grabbed my red arrows. I wouldn't be hunting, so I didn't need the green ones. Lily had told me the bag was waterproof, so I would be able to put my gun, bow and arrows in it to go under water. I also grabbed my soap, shampoo, and razor blades. I wanted to make sure everything was smooth on my wedding night and that I smelled pretty.

I met Lily in front of the tent when we were both ready. She told her mum where we were going and I followed her out of the cave. We ran into Al on the way out, and he ran over and kissed me with a giant smile on his face. Lily gave me a wicked grin and I rolled my eyes at her. I would tell her when we were in the underwater caves.

She led me to the spot where I had been bathing, and we stripped off our clothes. She dove into the water, and I followed her. Thankfully, it was crystal clear underneath, and I was able to easily follow her through the tunnels. Just when I started to panic and not be able to breathe, I saw her swim upwards.

We surfaced inside of a dark cave, and she had her wand lit. I followed the light to the back of the cave, and heard the sound of dripping water. She set her wand down and dug through her bag until she found some candles. She used her wand to light them, and levitated them around a giant pool of water. She had a huge smile on her face.

She pointed her wand to the water, and steam started rising out of it.

"Hop in!" She told me.

We both got into the water, and it was so relaxing.

"The minerals down here will soften your skin as well. It's good for tough feet."

"Lily, there is something I wanted to tell you." I hesitated and she looked at me expectantly. "Um, Al asked me to marry him this morning, and I said yes."

She squealed and clapped her hands. "When?"

"Tonight after dinner."

She laughed. "He doesn't waste any time at all, does he?"

"Are you ok with this?"

"Hell yes! You are awesome, and while I don't relish the idea of living with my brother again, I am so thrilled to finally have a sister that I don't mind at all."

"Thank you, Lily."

"I am excited for you, Blades."

"You know my real name is Lexa, right?"

She shrugged. "I don't care, I like Blades better. It really fits you."

I blushed. "Thanks."

She pulled out an iPod and I almost wanted to cry. I hadn't used one in four years.

"How in the bloody hell were you able to charge that?"

She grinned at me. "It's done with magic. It doesn't have to be charged."

She turned it on, and music filled the cave. I relaxed into the water, closed my eyes, and smiled. It was almost like the world hadn't ended.

"You know what would be so freaking perfect right now?" I asked her.

"What's that?"

"Chocolate."

"Mmm. That would be awesome."

"What do you miss the most?"

"Is chocolate really what you miss the most?" She asked and laughed.

"Yes. I mean aside from the obvious, like my family and a normal life."

She nodded. "I miss school."

"What? Are you kidding right now?"

She shook her head. "Our school was the most amazing place in the world. I miss it. I don't miss the lessons, but I miss the castle and my friends, and everything else. I was at the end of my third year when the Ministry and the school closed down, and I wish I could go back. I am so jealous of Teddy and Vic, and even James and Al. Teddy and Vic had already graduated, James was finishing his fifth year OWLs, and even Al was in his fourth year. I would have just been finishing my sixth year, and Al would have graduated this year. It's frustrating, really. When all of this is over, the three of us have to take our exams in a stuffy Ministry office instead of the castle."

"I don't miss school at all. I hated it. I went to a boring academy for girls, and it was miserable." I laughed. "When there are no boys around to impress, girls can be so gross."

"What do you mean?"

"Lots of them didn't bathe often enough, the rooms smelled like sweaty socks, and it was just nasty. You would think a bunch of rich girls being raised to act like ladies would have been cleaner, but they were not. My brothers got to go to a co-ed school. It was so not fair."

She laughed at me. "Your parents wanted to make sure you stayed pure for your rich husband. Is that going to happen?"

"I have no idea about the rich husband part, but yes, my virginity is his. I guess I was able to give them that."

"That's good. Do you love my brother?"

"I care deeply for him, I suppose if that's love, then yes. He makes me feel things that I have never felt before."

"Well, if you don't love him yet, you will. He is a loveable guy. He is completely devoted to you. I think if he were an animal, he would be a dog. Very loyal and loving."

I smiled at that thought. "I am devoted to him as well. We seem to have this weird connection."

I washed my hair, and began to shave my legs, but Lily stopped me.

"Why are you taking a razor to yourself?"

"Shaving. Don't you shave?"

She nodded. "With my wand. Here, stand up and let me do it for you."

"Wow, you people have spells for everything, don't you?"

She grinned at me and nodded. "Pretty much. When civilization returns, you can go back to cutting yourself up."

It took her about one minute to remove all of the hair from my legs and underarms. She even took care of my bikini area.

We got back in the water, and relaxed for a bit longer since I didn't have any duties to attend to, and she swore she was finished studying.


	3. Chapter 3

We returned to camp as dinner was being served. Lily grinned and gave her brother the thumbs up, and when he gave me a questioning look, I shrugged and sat down next to him.

"What is Lily so excited about?"

"I don't know. Your sister is weird."

He laughed and put his hand on my knee. "Your sister now too, love."

"Not yet. You still have time to change your mind."

He shook his head. "Not a chance."

The women served dinner, and I was delighted to see that we were having rabbit, and it was cooked my favorite way. Fried, and smothered in gravy. I had gotten enough that there was a whole rabbit to each person.

"Oh my gosh. This is my favorite."

Al laughed at me. "Really?"

I nodded. "If things ever go back to normal, I will still eat this as soon as I figure out how to cook it."

"How can it be your favorite if you don't know how to cook it?"

"My mother made it when we would bring her some rabbits. I made sure to get enough once a week."

"Now that I know it's your favorite, I can make it for you whenever you like."

I smiled at him. "You know how to cook?"

He nodded. "We all do. Gran made sure to teach all of her grandchildren from the time we were little."

"Oh my gosh. I always thought men who could cook were sexy."

He blushed and kissed my cheek. "I think you are sexy even if you can't cook."

I laughed at that and stuck my tongue out at him.

Harry stood up and everyone shut up and looked at him.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make. You have all been called back from lookout duty tonight for a very special reason. My son Al has decided to take a bride." Everyone cheered and we blushed. "Tonight after dinner, we will have the wedding ceremony. I would like to officially congratulate him, and welcome Lexa into our family."

Everyone raised their glasses to us, and we drank.

When dinner was finished, everyone worked together to clear the table, and Lily pulled me into our tent.

"It isn't much, but I have a wedding gift for you." She told me.

"What is it?"

"A wedding dress."

I felt my clothes change around me, and my hair started to move on its own. When it all stopped, she smiled and conjured a mirror. I gasped at what I saw.

My clothes had transformed into a silk strapless white dress. It came to about mid-thigh in the front, was long in the back, and trimmed with long white feathers. It had what looked like dove wings coming from the back and circling my body towards the front. My hair was up and had woven itself into a crown of braids, and there was a tiara and long veil resting on my head. My boots had also been changed to white. She sat me down and waved her wand in front of my face. I could feel the makeup she was applying.

"You look so beautiful, sister."

I almost cried when she said that. She conjured me a bouquet of wildflowers, and handed it to me.

"Lily, I want you to stand up there with me."

She smiled and told me to wait there. She ran out of the room, and was gone for a few minutes and came back.

"Ok, what is your favorite color?"

I looked into her eyes, and though green was my favorite, I thought a chocolate colored dress would look amazing on her.

"Chocolate brown."

She laughed. "We need to get you some chocolate."

She changed her own dress into a floor length silk, chocolate colored dress, and I saw that I was right about her eyes. They stood out, and looked twice their size. I smiled when I saw it.

"You look beautiful as well, sister."

"Don't." She sniffed. "You are going to make me cry."

She pointed her wand at her hair, and her mother came in as her hair was fixing itself. She stopped dead in her tracks, and her mouth fell open. I hoped Al's reaction was similar. Lily's hair was down and fell in waves down her back with brown ribbons woven into it.

"They are ready when you are. You girls look amazing! Oh, and we got Al and Scor into suits, Lils. Now I see why you were so insistent." She smiled at me. "I hope you like what we set up for you."

"I'm sure I will." I said and hugged my very soon to be mother in law."

"We are ready, Mum."

Ginny nodded and kissed our cheeks before leaving the tent. Lily finished her makeup, and when the music started, she conjured herself a bouquet like mine but smaller, pulled the front of my veil over my face, and walked out of the tent.

I was shaking. I wished my family had been able to be there, but I knew now was not the time to think sad thoughts.

I heard the wedding march start, and stepped out of the tent. They were standing near the front of the cave in front of the waterfall. I smiled and wanted to kiss Lily. There were wildflowers growing out of the ground, and I kind of wished I were barefoot. There were also candles floating above my head. I looked straight at Al, and was so glad I got to see his reaction when he first saw me. He looked like he had lost his breath, and grabbed Scorpius' arm for support. I also heard some intakes of breath from my new family. Again, I wanted to kiss my new sister.

I got to the front, and Al took my hand and squeezed it.

We got through the vows, and Katie joined our hands with a golden string from her wand. We kissed and she sent up stars and sparks.

"Witches and wizards, I present Mr. and Mrs. Albus Potter!" She said gleefully.

Everyone stood and cheered and sent sparks up from their wands.

I was Mrs. Albus Potter.

His Gran brought out a wedding cake that she must have worked on all day. I smiled when I saw that it was the color of Lily's dress and had wildflowers around the edges.

Al and I cut the cake, and I was delighted to see it was chocolate. I wanted two pieces!

After we ate our cake, Lily stood and cleared her throat.

"Every new bride deserves a first dance with her new husband. If my new sister and her husband will take the floor, I would like to sing a song that I think is perfect for them."

Al grinned at me and took my hand. He led me to the center of the cave on a bed of wildflowers, and pulled me to him.

"You look beyond amazing, Lexa. I wish I could see you in this every day."

He kissed me, and everyone clapped, and Lily began to sing.

_I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life and I thought, hey  
You know this could be something_

'Cause everything you do and words you say  
You know that it all takes my breath away  
And now I'm left with nothing

So maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you  
And maybe two is better than one

But there's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
And I'm thinking two is better than one

I remember every look upon your face  
The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste  
You make it hard for breathing

'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away  
I think of you and everything's okay  
I'm finally now believing

That maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you  
And maybe two is better than one

But there's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
And I'm thinking two is better than one

I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life and I thought, hey

Maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you  
And maybe two is better than one

There's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone

And I'm thinking, ooh  
I can't live without you  
'Cause baby, two  
Is better than one

There's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
But I figured out with all that's said and done  
Two is better than one  
Two is better than one

Al wiped away my tears and kissed me. Everyone clapped, and we went over to hug Lily.

"That was so sweet, Lils. Thank you."

She smiled and hugged me back, and then hugged her brother.

"The party is just starting. You don't think we would let you get married and not celebrate, right?"

She turned on her iPod and music played throughout the cave, and everyone else got up to dance. Lily took my veil off, and shortened the train of my dress so I could dance as well.

"If you want to keep this dress, you can." She told me.

"It doesn't change back at midnight?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No. It won't change back unless I undo the spell."

"Al will like that. He really likes this dress."

A couple of hours later, Al and I were dancing together, and he got a wicked glint in his eyes and carried me into our bedroom. He laid me on the bed and pointed his wand at the door. He laid down next to me and pulled me into his arms.

"Are you still sore from this morning?"

I was a tiny bit, but I shook my head. I wanted him so badly that a bit of soreness was not going to prevent me from having him.

"You look so sexy, baby. I wanted to drag you back in here and ravish you before you even got down the aisle."

I laughed at him, but he wasn't kidding. He rolled over on top of me and kissed me so deeply and passionately, it was like he was marking his territory.

I loved it.

He pulled my dress off of me, and I ripped his shirt off of him. He sat up and pulled me into his lap, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He leaned in and bit my neck, and I moaned and arched my back. I pulled his hair, and he bit harder. I cried out and wrapped my legs tighter around his waist. I could feel his erection under my panties and ground into him. He leaned forward and dropped me back on the bed and ripped my panties off. He bent forward and ran his tongue over my navel and worked his way down licking and kissing. I squirmed under him and bit my lip. He felt so amazing. His head dipped between my legs, and my breath caught as his tongue found my clit.

"Oh! Mmm. Al, that feels so good."

He let out a low growl and put some more pressure on it. I ran my fingers in his hair, and he slid two fingers inside of me. I cried out and pulled on his hair. He used his other hand to pull my hips further down towards him, and I wrapped my legs around his neck. I screamed his name over and over until I felt the tightening in my abdomen, and finally my release.

He sat up between my legs with a giant smile on his face. I blushed and bit my bottom lip. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"For screaming like that."

He laughed. "Hell no, I loved it. It made me feel like I was doing something right."

I pulled him down to kiss me. "You were, baby. It felt amazing. Now, please enter me before I hurt you."

He chuckled and kissed me again. He slid inside of me, and I arched my back and grabbed his arms. It didn't hurt like it did the night before. I lifted my hips to give him better access and he went in deeper, but kept a slow pace. He kissed me over and over again. My forehead, eyes, cheeks, nose and lips. I ran my hands down his back and I could feel his muscles under his smooth skin. I kissed his neck, and licked his skin. He tasted like apples, somehow. I bit into his neck, and he let out a low growl and thrust a bit faster.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and bit his neck harder to encourage him to go faster. I moaned and called his name, and he went even faster until I felt myself tighten against him, and he released when I did. He collapsed on top of me that time and I grinned at him.

"You know, for a man who has never done this before, you sure are good at it."

He blushed and nuzzled into my neck.

"As long as you think so, that's what matters."

He rolled next to me and pulled me into his arms.

"I love you, Lexa."

I smiled and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"I love you too, Al. You know, I never believed in love at first sight. I didn't even realize it had happened with you at first, but now, I know that I have loved you since the first time I saw you."

"Me too, Lexa. I realized it when I first saw you, though. I knew there was no way I could let you go, even if I had to follow you."

I laughed. "You did follow me."

"I mean I would have followed you if you had said you didn't want to go back to my camp with me."

"Really? That is so cute."

I kissed his nose, and he nuzzled into my neck and we fell asleep.

The next morning, as usual, I woke up before he did. He looked so cute sleeping, and I couldn't help myself. I rolled on top of him and straddled his waist. I leaned forward and kissed him until he opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"Damn, woman. You want more already?"

I bit my lip and nodded. He grinned and grabbed my hips, and slid me over his erection. I closed my eyes and moaned as he slid into me. I lifted up and down, and he used my hips to rock me back and forth. I leaned back and took more of him in. He released my hips and massaged my breasts. I reached between us and rubbed my clit and he growled. I grinned. So he liked that? I felt myself start to tighten up, and he took control and flipped me on my back and thrust hard and deep into me until he released his seed into me.

We were catching our breath, when my bracelet felt like it was on fire. I looked down and one of the lights were blinking. Someone started banging on the door, and Al threw on his boxers and opened it.

"We know. We are getting dressed and will be right there." He told whoever was standing there. He closed the door, and I jumped out of bed and put on the nearest outfit I could find, and armed myself.

"Who is it? Can you tell?"

"It's Rose. Are you ready?"

I nodded.

"Ok, push the gem that's flashing."

I did, and felt a tug on my belly button. I hit the floor, and when I looked up I was with most of the family. Al came in right next to me. I looked over at Rose, and she was crying.

"What's going on?"

Harry grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him. He was behind a bigger bush. "We are surrounded. Rose was collecting berries this morning, and ran into a herd." He pointed to the other side of the bush and I peeked through and almost wet myself. It was a freaking army of them, and we were surrounded.

"Everyone is here now, so here is what we are going to do." Harry said. "I want Al, Lexa, Lily, and Scorpius in the trees firing from above. Maybe they can cause enough of a distraction that we can just work through the rest."

I nodded and climbed the tree before helping Lily up. Al and Scor came up behind her.

"We need to spread out. Get over them, and pull their attention away from everyone else. Zombies can't climb trees, so don't freak out if they try." I told them, and they nodded.

We went in four separate directions. I got past the front of them, and started firing my arrows into their scalps. I was pleased to see they went through quite easily, and the zombies were dropping like flies. They looked confused for a few minutes, and I shouted down to get their attention.

"HEY! UP HERE, YOU SMELLY FUCKERS!"

That did it. They started grouping up under me and trying to reach me. I was ten feet in the air, though, and there was nothing they could do. I just stood on the branch and picked them off one by one. I say green lights flashing around me, and I could see that two people were on my group working from the outside.

I started to run low on arrows, and decided I needed to get some back, so I tied my hair in a knot on my head, pulled my swords, hooked my legs around the branch, and swung upside down. I swung my swords around and started decapitating them. I noticed the numbers were finally reducing. It was like a whole freaking village worth of them.

I started slipping and didn't even realize it until it was too late. I screamed and fell right into the mob of them. Thankfully it seemed to take them by surprise as well, and I had a second to get on my feet and start kicking them back and swinging my sword before they started trying to grab me.

I worked my way out of the mob, and was able to retrieve most of my arrows as well. I tried to climb back up the tree, but my limbs were sore, and I was covered in blood so I was too slippery to get a grip on the trunk. I was stuck and had attracted attention. I reached into my cloak and pulled out my face mask so I didn't get blood in my mouth, and put my hood up. The fewer places they could scratch at, the better. I didn't want to call out for help and attract more attention, so I just kept swinging my sword. There were just so many of them.

I had my back to the trunk, and all of a sudden I felt myself lifted into the air. I looked over at James and he grinned and winked at me before placing me back on my branch. I sat on the branch and caught my breath before returning to firing arrows.

Finally, my end cleared and I hoped down from the tree and took back my arrows. I was going to need to clean them somehow. Maybe I could have Al do it before we headed back, and me as well. I was caked in nasty blood.

I found Lily next, and helped her finish off the last of her group before moving on. I found Al next, and he almost fell out of the tree when he saw me.

"Is that your blood?"

I shook my head and Lily and I helped him before moving on to the last group. Scor only had three left, so we took them down quickly and met with the rest of the family in the center. I moved back around to retrieve the rest of my arrows, and counted to make sure. I moved back, and took off my cloak.

"Al, can you clean me and my arrows before we go?"

He washed me down first and checked me for scratches before cleaning my arrows.

"Was anyone scratched or bitten?" Harry asked, and we all shook our heads. Everyone had made it safely. They all started washing down the people who needed it, and I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. It dawned on me that we missed a few at the second it lunged for Rose. I grabbed her arm to pull her out of the way at the same it bit down on her collarbone.

"NO! ROSE!" Everyone turned to look, and her eyes locked with mine.

"Do it, Lexa! NOW!"

I swung my sword and took her head at the same time I took the zombie's head in one clean stroke. It was silent for a few seconds before everyone freaked out. I dropped my sword and fell to my knees. Harry and Ginny grabbed Ron and Hermione and disappeared. Probably back to camp. James took Hugo, and Al tried to take me, but I pushed him off of me. I was going to make sure there were no more around before I went anywhere.

I found five more before I finished making rounds. I circled around that entire area twice more before I was satisfied.

Al stayed back and cleaned my cloak and finished cleaning my arrows by the time I got back. He washed the bit of blood that was on me and himself, and pulled me to him to take me back to camp. I didn't say a word the whole time. I couldn't speak or allow myself to think or I would have a nervous breakdown. I went to Ron and Hermione to tell them how sorry I was.

"You did the only thing you could have done, Lexa." Ron told me.

"We all heard her tell you to do it." Hermione said.

None of that mattered to me. I had taken their daughter's life. I found Harry and apologized again, and told him I was going to take a bath. I grabbed some clean clothes, and went to the cave where Lily and I had been the day before. I felt my way around until I found the pool we had been in. It was dark and silent. It was exactly what I needed. It was cold, and I dove straight in. When I was under the water, I let out a scream to try and ease my nerves. I looked up, and saw the cave light up, so I resurfaced.

It was Al. He was naked and soaking wet. There were candles floating in the air, and he aimed his wand at the pool and heated it up.

"You don't have to talk, Lexa. We can sit here quietly, but I am not leaving you alone. You were just forced to take a life, and no one should have to handle that alone."

I have dealt with it before, Al. She was your cousin. Shouldn't you be with your family mourning her death?"

He shook his head. "You are my wife, Lexa. I need to be with you first." He moved and sat down on the floor of the cave and massaged my shoulders.

I turned around and put my head on his knee and cried. "I didn't want to do it, Al. Why did she ask me to?"

"Because she knew you would. If she had asked anyone else, they would have said no and let her turn into one of those things first. You were the only one who could do it without thinking it through first, and she was fully aware of that. We all are. You are a warrior, Lexa. That isn't a bad thing."

"How did they find her out there?"

"She probably apparated. It makes that loud popping sound, and it would have attracted them. I guess the village near there got infected and they have been roaming around." He whispered. "It's why we try not to apparate."

"Why didn't she just apparate out of there? I would have."

He sighed. "Even if she had, they could have found their way to our camp eventually anyway. It was better to call everyone there to handle the situation, than to have just left and waited for them to find us. We have been doing it that way from the start."

I nodded. I understood that logic, but that didn't make it easier. Al put some shampoo on my head, and washed my hair for me. His hands felt amazing as he massaged my scalp. He slipped into the water and washed my body, and sat me on the edge of the pool and massaged my feet and limbs.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because it will help you relax."

"What about you?"

He smiled. "This has been happening for three years. You think Rose is the first person to die that I was close to? I'm devastated that my cousin is dead, but she didn't turn into one of those things first, and I am grateful for that. I still have everyone else, and they have us. I know it makes me sound cold and heartless, but I'm not. I care deeply that she is gone, but crying and getting angry about it won't bring her back. I can be strong for her brother and parents. They are the ones who deserve to cry for her."

I nodded. "I know. You're right. How did you know I was here?"

"Lily. She said you might have come here to get away from everyone when I didn't see you in a tree."

"Where is the village?"

"What?"

"The village. Your dad said there was a village near here."

"You want to go to the village?"

I nodded.

"Why?"

"I need bullets for my gun, and I need to restock on a few things. I am sure there is a chemist somewhere. Hopefully it hasn't been cleaned out already."

"Ok, let me clean up and we can go."

I nodded and ducked back into the water while he cleaned off. It was so relaxing under the water. There were no zombies or Death Eaters, and the world was beautiful and calm.

When Al finished washing, we went back and let everyone know where we were going, and he apparated us just outside of the village.

He took my hand and led me quietly through the village. There wasn't a sound. The place was a ghost town. We found the chemist, and it looked like we were the first ones here since the place closed down. I started to break a window, but Al used magic to open the door. I rolled my eyes. Naturally. He came in behind me and closed the door and locked it again.

I opened my bag, and walked down the aisles until I found what I was looking for. I grabbed a ton of feminine hygiene products because I had no idea how long it would be before I could get more. I found my favorite shampoo and conditioner and stocked up on them as well. I grabbed a bunch of first aid items like alcohol, peroxide, bandages, antibiotic creams, headache meds, and several other pain relievers. I found some shaving razors and bottles of water as well.

"Lexa." Al whispered.

I found him in the candy aisle, and we grinned at each other, and emptied the shelves into my bag.

"Is there anything else you think we should get?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "I have no idea. I suppose if anyone else needs anything they can make us a list, and we can come back. Let's head over to the gun store."

We checked to make sure it was clear, and ran over to the gun store. It was just like the chemist. There hadn't been anyone else here yet. I took a few more guns as back-ups and loaded up on the ammo and clips for them. I also got a few pairs of new boots. The souls on mine were starting to wear thin. I found some leather gloves that would be perfect for using my bow with.

"Is there anything else we need?" He asked.

"We should go to the clothing store and get some cloth for Molly. She was saying she was running low the other day. The store we passed on the way in was a dress maker's shop as well. They would have bolts of cloth. Did you bring your bag? Mine is getting heavy."

He nodded. "Switch bags with me. Mine is empty, so I can carry yours."

We switched, and made sure the coast was clear and headed to the dress shop. My eyes lit up when we got inside. There were some really cute clothes in there, and I decided to look around and do a bit of shopping as well.

"Lexa, stay here. I am going to run and do something else really quick. I will be right back."

"Ok, but hurry."

He kissed me and left.

I went to the back and grabbed some bolts of cloth for Molly, and some yarn. Al had told me how she loved to knit in the winter, so I found some interesting yarn colors for her, and went back to the main part of the store.

I found a few outfits for myself, and practically emptied the racks for everyone else. I put mine in a separate bag so I didn't lose them in the others.

Al came back after thirty minutes and led me to the men's clothing store where I grabbed more cloth, some clothes for Al that I put into bags, and some clothes for the rest of the men.

"We should get some shoes too." He told me, so we found boots for the men.

"Was there anywhere else we need to go?" I asked him.

"No, it's getting dark. We should get back."

We made sure the coast was clear, and headed out of the village before apperating back to camp. I was interested to discover that I could get in and out without help this time.

"It's because we are married. You are officially part of the family."

I smiled at him. It made me feel special.

"Why didn't I notice that earlier?"

"Probably because you were upset." He held me in his arms and kissed me. "I love you, Lexa."

"I love you too, Al."

We walked into the cave and went to our room to get our stuff out of the bags first. I didn't want to dump tampons and pads all over the floor of the cave for everyone to see. I was pretty sure the witches had spells for that stuff. If they didn't I would be happy to share with them.

"Hide some of that candy for us. Once we show it to them, it will be gone."

I laughed and nodded, and did what he said. I threw a large chunk of it into my bottom drawer. We took out our bags of clothes and my ammo and boots. I grabbed a few of the bottles of water for us as well.

"Why did you get bottled water?"

"Because we need bottled water."

"We can make water with our wands."

"Of course you can." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh. Right. More for you then." He said with a blush.

"It's ok, Al. Besides, maybe they can use it anyway. Never know when they might need the bottles, you know?"

He agreed, and we kept sorting the bags. When we finished, we repacked them and headed out if the tent where everyone who wasn't on watch was sitting down for dinner.

"We brought gifts for everyone. We can sort them after dinner, though." Al told them.

I went to Ron and Hermione and hugged them before I sat down to eat.

After dinner we handed out the supplies we got, and dumped the candy on the table for everyone to grab what they wanted. Molly loved the yarn and cloth I got her, and Al conjured clothing racks for everyone to go through. After the candy had been divided up, I put the water bottles on the table as well for everyone to grab a few of each.

"If there is anything else that is needed, just make lists and Al and I will go back and get whatever is on them. The village is a ghost town, and untouched, so there is plenty of everything. Except candy. I am pretty sure we emptied the shelves."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Did you check the stockroom?"

Al and I looked at each other and blushed. Neither of us had thought of that.

"No, we didn't think of that, so there is probably more candy too." I told him.

Al took my hand, and we went back to our room.

"I got you a surprise." He told me.

"What is it?"

"It's really two surprises. Lily said you didn't have an iPod."

I shook my head, and he pulled one out of his pocket and handed it to me.

I smiled and opened it. "Thank you!" I gave him a big hug and a kiss. "Now I just have to get Lily to charge it magically, and add some music to it!"

I went to jump off the bed and run into Lily's room, but he grabbed my wrist and held me still.

"Wait, wait. There is one more."

I sat back down, and he pulled out a small square box. I opened it and gasped.

"I thought you should have an engagement ring and wedding band."

He also pulled out his own matching wedding band and slipped it onto his finger, and then put mine on my finger.

"Oh wow. Oh my gosh, baby they are beautiful!" I told him and he gave me a hug and a kiss.

"They pale in comparison to you, but I thought we could still give them a chance."

He was so romantic! I felt my heart fluttering, and kissed him again.

We made love twice that night, and again the next morning.

After we got out of bed the next morning, I found Lily and gave her my iPod to load and charge up, and then I went off hunting with my team again.

Things were finally settling into a routine.


End file.
